About Isamu Noguchi

Isamu Noguchi was one of the 20th century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors and designers. Influenced by his mentor, Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, and by the abstract forms of Jean Arp and Japanese Zen gardens, Noguchi gained acclaim in 1946 when his biomorphic interlocking stone sculptures were included in “14 Americans” at the Museum of Modern Art. Integrating Japanese aesthetics with Western modernism, he pursued a lifetime of artistic experimentation that transcended the boundaries of art, design, theater, and architecture. He brought his belief that sculpture should shape space to iconic design objects such as his series of “Akari Light Sculptures,” hanging or freestanding Shoji-paper, bamboo, and wire lamps with a clean, molded aesthetic. His iconic coffee table, a soft-cornered, triangular glass top above curved, asymmetrical wood supports, fueled a successful partnership with the modernist design manufacturer Herman Miller. He also collaborated on set designs with dancers/choreographers Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Erick Hawkins, and George Balanchine, and the composer John Cage.

American, 1904-1988, Los Angeles, California, based in New York, New York